The Dickinson press., 1887-05-14
TIE ENGLISH COURT.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LORD
cHAMBERLAIN's FAMOUS ORDER

An Unjust Discrimination Against Amer
lean Lndics-A Picturesque Affair
Worth Going to Scc-Buckingham
Palacc-Amcricans In London Society.
have been asked often by ladies going TO
England this spring as to the presentation to
the queen, which seems suddenly to have
changed its character. Instead of being an
honor, one would judge from the recent de
cision of the lord chamberlain that it is an
international insult. \ lady, any number of
ladies, may bc presented They may run by
thousands before her mnjccty, like the wild
hcrscs down the Corso, but they are not
eligible for the court balls, concerts and sub
scuucnt festivities!
So reads tho latest order. Then of what
use is Il presentation.
livery ono knows that presentation to any
court is merely n recognition of ones rank at
home, and n permcsso To enter tho society of
the city and country to which our minister is
accredited. Else it is IL firing and formal
thing i'll which the actors, the receiver and
the received arc playing part-nlerely II
means 10 an end. If this is really the inter-
probation to he put upon the last order of the
lord chamberlain, it is IL far more gricvois
cause of war than tho fisheries question
Tho queen herself is always polite to Amer
leans. Sho has reason To he. They have
filled her London of late with very solvent
crowd, WHO can hire horses, give dinners,
support her hotels and be IL bcncfaction to
her tradcspcople London needs tho money;
the Americans have it and spend it freely.
They yarc, as the world knows, great favoritci
with tho Prince and Princess of Wales We
need not enter into the recent visit of Oliver
Wendell Homes, the ovation paid to him. 10
assure our readers that the literary people of
America nrc well received, from tho throne
down. Important intcrmarraSes lavetakcn
place between Englishmen and American
women. Shall the mothers and sisters of
these American ladies he displaced at tho
court festivities and the mothers and sisters
of ladies', no more respected, no more fash
ionably placed, he admitted. Tho thing is
prclosterous.
Tho presentation itself is II picturesque
affair and worth going to sec, although ii is Il
fatiglling process. y lady must he dressed at
eleven i'll the morning in full court dress with
Il train four yards long unl three wide; She
must wear n white vail and have three
feathers in her hair collspirAously placed.
| ll" lord chamberlain in his instructions
| particularly mentions that these feather,
he placed so tley can he secn in front of tli,
head. White gloves are also dc rigueur, and
as they are never worn anywhere else except
| at weddings that is un item which every lady
must attend to.
The carriages approach buckingham pnlar,
i'll IA long queue and ono waits an hour ol
more i'll line, exposed to the jcers of the lolu
lace, who look at the ladies' dressed for court
and make comments, laugh and amllsc them
selves. One hopes it may do them some good
for they look miserable enough. Arriving in
the noble quadrangle of Buckingham palar,
the music of tho guards band cnlivcns one
and the silent, splendid figures of the liollsa
hold troops, the handsomrst men in tho world
SET like statues on their horses. Nomattcr if
the rain is pouring, MS it generally is, neither
man nor horse moves.
Once inside the palace nnl your card of
entrance handed to the queens page, som,
official takes q cloak and Tie lnly wcndi lcl
way up magnificent staircase. Another
and another hall is passed and she finds her
self i'll n suit of magnificent drawing rooms
Gentlemen of the household glittering will
uniforms and orders stand about. Soon slu
arrives ut tho last drawing room, where
chairs are placed, and tho handsome womel
como dropping in.
The necessity of n court costume, the three
feather, and tho vail then becomes apparent
She is amazed ut tho beautiful effect pro
!uced ly this similarity of hcadlrcsses con
trastc'l by the variety of dresses. The train
ridiculous elsewhere, looks well here. Finally
one sees u little turnstile gate and tho crow
begins to move toward it.
1t seems to me, as / look back upon it, tlia,
l should abolish the turnstlc. After tI,,
presentation tho next day, one goes to tho
palace and to Marlborough house and write,
ones name in the queens book, and in that
of the Prince of Wales. His royal higLncs.
is said to look over his book carefully 1licr
comes n great card from the lord chamber.
lain with the qucen's command that you
should be invited to the ball ut Buckingham
palace. This is really worth gong to and
worth crossing tho Atlantic to sec Buckiny.
ham palace is not II llomc-it is merely q
grand reception hall for courtly ccrcmon
ials; but in the evening, with the stairs
banked with flowers and the glory of u thou
sand wax candles, it is II banquet hall worthy
of Englanrs renown.
Americans in London suffer from two
causes. One is the jealousy of other Amorl
cans Til" moment one American gets foot
ing in this brilliant and not too exclusive So
cicty lie begins to push away other Ame,i
cans. AL the vices of the society snob ripcl
in the person newly introiuccltothe sociel y
OF the great. That happens everywhere Til,
other cause is the push of the numbers, tn,
5o,cop, nl and each one sSool ;,s ail the rest
1t is not IL lovely spectacle ut the American
legation.
Perhaps We are too large nation, but Let
us never forget our national self respect
Our minister aud lis staff seemed animated
by the most ferycm desire to serve thci.
countrymcn. Certainly il my one com
planned it shoull not be myself for r.cciycl
every kindness AMI attention It: their hands
felt, us we all do ia London, that our en-
bassy should be on broader lr.iriples, 70.
such great, powerful, rich re;1D!i: as our
should be represented by Il house as graul
us that of any other embassy in London
Our minister should be l,ai.l s,,.cndilly 50 h.
could entertain better than lis present sa!ar,
allows, and the nation should he officially oI
u par with the empire of Russia, the kingdom
Of Italy, the republic of Fr;ncc-Alrs job!
Sherwood in New Iorl; World